About mdwildlife

The Monarch (Danaus plexippus). Yes, the Monarch. Probably the most ridiculously well-known and recognizable butterfly on the planet. They have those in Maryland. It flies every year from Canada to Peru, or somewhere else, and finds something or someplace on instinct … Continue reading →

The Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa) is considered to be one of the more abundant yellow sulphur in any area that it occupies. If you’re seeing small yellows and sulphurs bouncing around you’re probably running across this guy. I am fairly … Continue reading →

The Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela) with its extremely prominent eyespots is very recognizable. I have read that this Satyr tends to fly in the late spring and early summer months and can be common on cloudy days when other butterflies may … Continue reading →

The Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) is an extremely visually striking butterfly that can be found in forests, woods, meadows, open areas … really, a lot of places. The Great Spangled Fritillary is very common in Maryland. It’s a fairly large … Continue reading →

The Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) means trouble for you identification fans out there. When you have one zoomed in as close as the photo above, it’s not that hard to pick out the orange splotch, the straight double tail and … Continue reading →

The Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a summer butterfly that is very easy to identify. As its name would suggest, the Wood Nymph hangs out around wood; often positioning itself along logs or grasping to tree bark. It will … Continue reading →

The Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) is just that – common. Over the past two years, I have noticed it more in the summer months leading into the fall rather than earlier in the spring. I don’t see the Buckeye, typically until late … Continue reading →

The Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is a small yellow butterfly that is extremely common in the state. The species, in general, can be found from Alaska down to Florida and all states in between. The photo above shows a sulphur among … Continue reading →

The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is a small and quick butterfly that is very common throughout the state. It is also fairly easy to identify as the markings of butterflies in the white family are usually quite prominent. The Cabbage … Continue reading →

The Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) is a large butterfly in the swallowtail family and extremely close in appearance to the Pipevine and Spicebush swallowtails. Like the other darker swallowtails, it has blue, white and orange markings, and very similar and related … Continue reading →

The American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) is a medium sized species in the brushfoot family of butterflies. Ladies typically fly close to the ground with a fluttering motion and will land on the ground and spread their wings in and out. … Continue reading →

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a recognizable symbolic of America and a powerful, graceful and beautiful bird. The Bald Eagle nests mostly along the shores of Maryland, within the east coast watershed. I have photographed Bald Eagles at the Eastern Neck … Continue reading →

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is a large and very easily identifiable swallowtail. It is most common around Maryland in the later summer months – late July and August – and when around, it is abundant. It can be found … Continue reading →

The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) can be found across the entire state of Maryland in both the winter and summer months. I don’t think I have been to many WMAs – or even driven along too many Maryland highways – where I didn’t look up … Continue reading →